Monim Nazir Rana

SID: 19696179

Executive Summary
The following report is a detailed design brief, as a part of community improvement program in Timor-Leste
for the community of Suco Holarua. The community development program is an integrated initiative with
Engineers Without Boarders Australia, providing ongoing acessibility to the community of Suco Holarua.The
contextual framework of this program is underscored and imminent in the sections of this report, with the
community agreed outcomes at the core objective of this program:

• supplement the existing water supply in Suco Holarua through household or community rainwater
harvesting schemes.

This community agreed problem statement is to be treated as the basis of development of an engineering design
solution to provide this outcome to the community. The elements of the rainwater harvesting system are
demonstrated to be non-existent Suco Holarua, posing both economical and health risks. Through, research it is
validated the community Suco Holarua rely on mountain springs as a source of water, which is influenced by
the geographical constraints of a season of dryness. Additionally, access to the mountain springs is an issue for
many households in Suco Holarua which are quite far from the location of their community water tap, meaning
they either aren’t yet connected or are challenged by maintaining the length of pipe required

1. Background on EWB Challenge

The Engineers Without Borders was established in 2007 and since has operated as a non-profitable
organization, whose primary concern is to improve the social outcomes of individuals who embody the lifestyle
of an underdeveloped community. The efforts of the EWB challenge is to render change within the engineering
curriculum by allowing students to explore global sustainability, equipping them with a broad and multifaceted
skillsets, knowledge, experience and attitude to contribute to improved community outcomes as an engineer.
Woven, into the fabrics of the challenge is to introduce a humanitarian engineering design approach that
provides the resolution of problems experienced by all communities in need of their service. The top
engineering designs provided by university students ate presented to the local community for their consideration
and implementation. The community driven implantation process is led by EWB and a local NGO to empower
students to execute effective engineering solutions

1. 1 Selected Challenge Project

The 2019 EWB Challenge this year is set in the village Suco Holarua in the Manufahi District of Timor-Leste.
Suco Holarua, along with many other villages located along the eastern provenance Timor is bounded by the
Timor Sea to the southeast, the Wetar Strait to the north, the Ombai Strait to the northwest, and western Timor.
This design brief will focus on the project of water access and quality more specifically Opportunities for
rainwater collection and storage as defined in (Engineers Without Borders,2019).
2.Backgroun of Suco Holarua and Manufahi

The quality of water delivered to a community or household in the Manufahi district is highly dependent on
the quality of the water source itself. This means that households in the Manufahi province depend highly on
the quality of transcendent water, the geographical conditions of Manufahi illustrated by figure 1 depicts the
a tropical region which is subjected to low rainfall during dry, which ultimately have dire implications on
the community.

Figure 1: depicts the densely tropical

region of Manufahi
Which due it’s geographical location
faces parodic rainfall fluctuations meaning that individuals must store water to survive.

This year’s EWB challenge is in partnership with WaterAid and the local partner Luta ba Futuru (LBF)
alongside with Program Nasional Dezenvolvimentu Suku/National Program for Village Development
(PNDS)(EWB,2019). This partnership between NGO’s and non-profit organisations strengthen the diversity
of the engineering sector and will ensure that more innovative and groundbreaking solution are leveraged
against economical constraints.

In the Manufahi Province, communities such as the Suco Holarua suffer from water pollution from the Rib
Lacib Dol Sul river due to urban sprawl and production which lead to scattering of gasoline, machine oil and
various types of product waste. The rapid deforestation rate of 1.3 percent per annum coupled with an
increasing population have dire implication on nature contributing to pollution. (Hosgelen, Population
Growth, Poverty & Environmental suitability In Timor-Leste ,August 2014) Individuals and families from
communities contribute to the pollution of the Rib Lacib Dol Sul river through discarding plastic waste and
installing their toilets and/or pigs on the riverbank (The Luta ba Futuru team, 2017). The main source of
drinking water in the Manufahi Province during the December to April period is rainwater which is collected
via large water harvesting tanks or individual members of household manually attain water through buckets
via Australian government funded tapes, as indicated by figure 2 (Delegation of the European Union to
Timor-Leste 2017).
Figure 2: illustrates a women part of rural household in Holarua community living without the access to
water which forces her to manually attain water via buckets which may pose health issues (WHO/UNICEF,
Joint monitoring scheme 2013)

This period being the dry season shows the scarce nature of water, exerting tremendous pressure on 34% of
rural households which are at least 30 minutes or more from the nearest water supply (UNICEF Situational
Analysis of Children in Timor-Leste, 2014, p 105.) A technical quality evaluation audit conducted by the
(PNDS) in 2015 reveals that water supply and quality have in fact decreased from 2015 and described as
“Below specification” (3rd Technical Evaluation of Infrastructure June 2017, p17). The varying theories of
water pollution stem from research under taken Hosgelen in 2014, his analysis of Manufahi is explored in
his thesis containing theories related to water contamination of rivers such as the Rib Lacib Dol Sul river,
Figure 3 presents these theories.

Figure 3 represents the Differing Theories Explaining the Reasons for Degrading Environments and
Resource Scarcity. Source: Prepared by the researcher based on review of literature

The accumulation of waster as a by-product of urbanisation is hazardous to Holarua communities and their
daily lives, as the ramifications to being vulnerable to waterborne diarrheal diseases and vector borne
diseases have the potent to cause long term health issues hence undermining community health (Hosgelen,
Population Growth, Poverty & Environmental suitability In Timor-Leste ,August 2014 p49). The rainwater
storage system (within the harvesting tanks) may seem to combat the issue of water supply however
disregards sanitation as both water being stored of long periods of time in poor conditions enable vector
borne disease to reproduce in the water. Poor access to safe water is linked to poor health and preventable
diseases,

Recently, communities have experienced incremental improvements to new and improved water systems
through the Government of Timor-Leste’s National Program for Village Development (PNDS) and the
sanitation program (known locally by its acronym, BESIK), the Australian Government funded program for
new water system for the community. Now, 6,900 meters of pipe ensures clean water reaches 88 households
and one school, through 10 public taps (Public Relations Article Australian Embassy / DFAT in Timor-
Leste).

The lack of progression in water aid have abruptly contributed to significant health issues, as currently
Timor-Leste is declared as fragile state associated with challenges for the WASH sector, including a
shortfall in administrative and human resource capacity (Timor-Leste WASH Sector Brief) (EWB
challenge.org 2019). Through, EWB interventions alongside with the Australian government, WaterAid and
LBF have led to the development of sustainable water treatment practices in Timor-Leste. Currently,
“collecting and boiling unsafe water is a daily activity for thousands of people there” (Dr Kate Neely,
University of Melbourne). However, the issue is not resolved by knowledge and awareness spreading as” It
can take hours to walk to a spring…… collect 40 liters of water to carry home” (Dr Kate Neely,
University of Melbourne).
3. Stakeholders initial identification

Water systems involving harvesting systems is of importance to all within the Holarua Community as “water
is the driving force of all nature” (Leonardo Da Vinci)

stakeholder Impact identified interest/influence

1. WaterAid and the LBF are key High interest and high influence
Luta ba Futuru (LBF) stakeholders that have profoundly
& impacted Timor-Leste. Through,
WaterAid the educating communities
WaterAid have successfully
established sustainable practices
in relation to combating water
contamination. Additionally, the
LBF being a local stakeholder
have also facilitated local
awareness campaigns,
additionally both these NGO’s
have large influence into how the
project is implemented.
2. Timor-Leste government Provides funding for projects and Medium interest and high
decides whether to accept or influence
decline project. Have the ability
to accept and reject foreign
investors such as Aid from
Neighboring countries
3. EWB Works with LBF and High interest and medium
communities to design a suitable influence
water filtration system
4.Community members Since their being affected directly, High interest and medium
they provide LBF and EWB with influence
significant information on the
current issues they are facing such
as the water pollution problem
hence as a result enabling EWB to
identify the issue and come up
with a solution
4. conclusion
It is profoundly evident through research Timor-Leste is lacking Safe and accessible water
Facilities, to combat this constraint communities have resulted to boiling water to eliminate
pathogens/microbes (Dr Kate Neely, University of Melbourne 2017). According to evidence-based research
by the 2010 demographic and Health Survey indicated that 19 percent of Timor-Leste children had diarrhoea
on the day of the survey(3 Black. (2010). Global, regional and national causes of child mortality in 2008: a
systematic analysis). This proves the act of boiling water is time consuming and hence disregarded and the
lack of progression in the installation of readily available taps is validated as community members
frequently have to go out to and move around between their homes and farms hence access to boiled water is
difficult.
Therefore, the communities are calling for a solution to the following constraints:

• No contamination in water supply from the Lacib Dol Sul river: Therefore, a simple system needs to
be implemented that will treat the water to make it suitable for drinking. This system must not be
complicated and affordable and simple to replace/fix.

• Water supply must be optimised: Therefore a system for optimising rainwater collection must be
established, this system must also be able to treat the water in order to eliminate pathogens and bacteria
and it must be a simple system that can be fixed easily and the community members can also learn
how to fix it if there is an issue with it furthermore it must be affordable.

Through Identifying the community’s essential needs, to provide an improved community health outcome
through an innovative engineering design can be summarised in the following single problem statement:
Treating water and optimising water supply in a simple and affordable manner.
 5. references

Dfat.gov.au
https://dfat.gov.au/about-us/publications/Documents/timor-leste-partnership-human-development-annual-plan-
2017.pdf
Hosgelen, M. (2014). POPULATION GROWTH, POVERTY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY IN TIMOR-
LESTE. [online] Merve Hosgelen, pp.17,18,28,78,140. Available at: https://flex.flinders.edu.au/file/9dd8cf40-3c27-
47ca-9617-bb18da74043e/1/Thesis-Hosgelen-2014.pdf [Accessed 23 Mar. 2019].
Hosgelen, M. (2014). POPULATION GROWTH, POVERTY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY IN TIMOR-
LESTE. [online] Merve Hosgelen, pp.17,18,28,78,140. Available at: https://flex.flinders.edu.au/file/9dd8cf40-3c27-
47ca-9617-bb18da74043e/1/Thesis-Hosgelen-2014.pdf [Accessed 23 Mar. 2019].
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Mar. 2019].

Water access and quality project n.d., viewed March 10th 2019
https://ewbchallenge.org/wateraid-timor-leste
Ewb.org.au(2019). Water supply and sanitation-Engineers Without Borders Australia.[online]
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ttps://www.ewb.org.au/explore/initiatives/ewbchallenge/hfhewbchallenge/hfhwash[Accessed Viewed March
18th 2019
Silent No More - Forging Pathways in Timor-Leste
https://www.ewb.org.au/blog/silent-no-more-timorleste viewed 18th March 2019
Braz Gomaiz, published 2017, Timor-Leste Australia Alumni Engagement Strategy 2017 – 2019, viewed
21st of March:
https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/keeping-the-water-running-in-timor-leste
European Union supports the Timorese rural communities to adapt to climate change
13/11/2017 viewed 21st March 2019
https://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/timor-leste/35464/european-union-supports-timorese-rural-communities-
adapt-climate-change_en
Rebecca Wardell, Archie C. A. Clements, Aparna Lal, David Summers, Stacey Llewellyn, Suzy J.
Campbell, James McCarthy, Darren J. Gray, Susana V. Nery Published: May 10, 2017
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0005565
Timor-Leste Government make clean water and decent toilets a top priority
Posted by WaterAid Australia on 16 August 2018
https://www.wateraid.org/au/articles/timor-leste-government-make-clean-water-and-decent-toilets-a-top-priority

Dfat.gov.au
https://dfat.gov.au/about-us/publications/Documents/timor-leste-partnership-human-development-annual-plan-
2017.pdf
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